Special Sub-Topic: US Airport Acronyms Click Here To Play: US Airport Acronyms

What does an airport person in the US mean when they say FAA?

Federal Aviation Administration. The Federal Aviation Administration used to be called the Federal Aviation Agency. Before that it was the CAA--Civil Aviation Authority.

What is HIRL?

high intensity runway lighting. MIRL would be medium intensity runway lighting. LIRL is low intensity runway lighting. There are also MITL (medium intensity taxiway lighting, LITL (low intensity taxiway lighting), not to mention MALSR, MALSF, RAIL, REIL, C/L, TDZ and a host of other lights that can be found on an airport.

What does TDZ stand for?

touchdown zone. The touchdown zone is the first 3000' or to the midpoint of the runway, whichever is shorter. For low visibility operations, TDZ lights are installed in banks of 3, inpavement, every 100' on both sides of centerline for the extent of the TDZ.

When a US airport person talks about their ACM, what are they talking about?

airport certification manual. The ACM details how the airport will meet the requirements of Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 139--Airport Certification. Chapters cover such subjects as airfield inspections, training of personnel, snow and ice control, letters of agreement, and aircraft rescue and firefighting. The Emergency Manual is part of the ACM.

What is SRE?

snow removal equipment. Snow removal equipment employed by airports include: plows, rotary blowers, sweepers, sanders and runway deicing equipment. Expect to pay over $200,000 for a plow, $325,000 for a blower or sweeper and $600,000 for a combination blower/plow.

What does ARFF stand for?

aircraft rescue and firefighting. ARFF used to be called CFR--crash fire rescue. It was changed to remove any reference to crashes or crashing.

What is ATC?

air traffic control. Air traffic control typically consists of ground control to talk to the pilots when they taxi to and from the runway, local control to issue take-off and landing clearance, and approach control to talk to the pilots as they approach the airport or after they have left the airport terminal area on departure. In smaller facilities the same controller may work two positions.

What is a PAPI?

precision approach path indicator. A PAPI consists of two or four boxes located 1000' from the end of the runway. They emit red and white beams of light. A pilot on the proper glide path will be an equal number of red and white lights. If all lights are white the pilot is too high (white over white, fly all night.) If all lights are red the pilot is too low (red over red, you're dead.)

What is EDS?

explosive detection system. The EDS is a machine that bags can be run through the way bags run through the x-ray machine at the screening checkpoint. Explosive or questionable material shows up on a monitor screen. ETD is an explosive trace detector. It is a smaller, less capable machine. With an ETD, the screener swipes the bag with a swab, then inserts the swab in the ETD which analyzes it for explosives residue.

What does BA NIL mean?

braking action nil. A nil braking action report requires the airport to close that runway or other surface until measures (such as sanding, deicing, plowing) can be taken to improve the braking action. Other possible braking reports are BA GOOD, BA FAIR and BA POOR. Many airports have an instrument, called a decelerometer, which they can use to quantify the braking action. With a decelerometer braking action can be expressed as a number which air carrier pilots can use to determine stopping distance or if, given the weather and wind conditions, they can even use that runway for landing.